Kirby Wilson faces a long road to recovery

On the Friday before the Steelers’ season ended with a 29-23 overtime loss in Denver, running backs coach Kirby Wilson was seriously injured in a house fire.

The attachment of the label “not life-threatening” created a sense of relief, but it’s now clear that Wilson faces a long and difficult road to recovery.

The Steelers issued the following statement on behalf of Wilson’s family today, 11 days after the incident: “Mr. Kirby Wilson remains in critical condition in the Trauma Burn Center at UPMC Mercy in Pittsburgh. In addition to burns sustained over 45 percent of his body, he has suffered a smoke inhalation injury and will require multiple operative procedures in the future.”

Wilson, 50, joined the Steelers in 2007. He also has coached with the Cardinals, Buccaneers, Redskins, and Patriots. He spent nine years coaching at the college level.

We wish him a full, complete, and speedy recovery, and we hope that his long coaching career will be able to continue in 2012.